Genesis 2:12

Verse

Berean Standard Bible

And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there.

American Standard Version (1901)

and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

Bible in Basic English

And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

Douay-Rheims 1899

And the gold of that land is very good: there is found bdellium, and the onyx stone.

Free Bible Version

(The gold from that land is pure. Bdellium and onyx stone are also found there.)

Geneva Bible 1599

And the golde of that land is good: there is Bdelium, and the Onix stone.

King James (Authorized) Version

And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

One Unity Resource Bible

and the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and onyx stone are also there.

Plain English Version

It was really good gold. And there were pretty stones, and a good-smelling gum that comes from a tree too.

Translation for Translators

That gold ◄is very pure/has no impurities in it►. There is also a sweet-smelling gum called bdellium, and valuable stones called onyx.

Unlocked Literal Bible

The gold of that land is good. There are also bdellium and the onyx stone.

Noah Webster Bible

And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx-stone.

World English Bible

and the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and onyx stone are also there.

Young's Literal Translation

and the gold of that land [is] good, there [is] the bdolach and the shoham stone;

Context

Man and Woman in the Garden

¹¹The name of the first river is Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.¹²And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there.

Sermons

(Through the Bible) Exodus 1-5

Chuck Smith

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Summary

This verse describes the gold found in the land of Havilah, where there is also aromatic resin and onyx. It highlights the richness and beauty of the land that God created, showcasing His attention to detail and provision for mankind. The mention of gold, aromatic resin, and onyx signifies the abundance and diversity of resources available in the world, reflecting God's generosity and care for His creation. This verse serves as a reminder of God's bountiful blessings and the intricate design of the earth for the benefit of humanity.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
John Gill
Tyndale

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

There is bdellium (בדלח bedolach) and the onyx stone, אבן השהם eben hashshoham - Bochart thinks that the bedolach or bdellium means the pearl-oyster; and shoham is generally understood to mean the onyx, or species of agate, a precious stone which has its name from ονυξ a man's nail, to the color of which it nearly approaches. It is impossible to say what is the precise meaning of the original words; and at this distance of time and place it is of little consequence.

John Gill Bible Commentary

And the gold of that land is good,.... Arabia was famous for gold: Diodorus Siculus (x) speaks of gold in Arabia, called "apyrus", which is not melted by fire out of small filings, as other; but as soon as dug is said to be pure gold, and that in the size of chestnuts, and of such a flaming colour, that the most precious stones are set in it by artificers for ornament: and in Colchis and Scythia, as Strabo (y) relates, there are rivers which produce gold; and from whence came the fable of the golden fleece, the Argonauts went to Colchis for: there is the bdellium, and the onyx stone; the first of these is either an aromatic gum; the tree, according to Pliny (z), is black, and is of the size of an olive tree, has the leaf of an oak, and its fruit is like capers; it is found in Arabia, India, Media, and Babylon; but the best, according to him, is in Bactriana, and, next to that, the bdellium of Arabia: or else it is a precious stone, and which the Jewish writers (a) commonly take to be crystal; and, according to Solinus (b), the best crystal is in Scythia. Bochart (c) would have it that the pearl is meant, because of its whiteness and roundness, for which the manna is compared to it, Num 11:7 and the rather because of the pearl fishery at Catipha, taking Havilah to be that part of Arabia which lies upon the Persian gulf. The latter, the onyx, is a precious stone, which has its name from its being of the colour of a man's nail; and, according to Pliny (d), the onyx marble is found in the mountains of Arabia, and the ancients thought it was nowhere else; and he speaks elsewhere of the Arabian onyx precious stone, and of the sardonyx, as in the same country (e); and some think that is here meant; though the word is sometimes by the Septuagint rendered the emerald; and the best of these, according to Solinus (f) and Pliny (g), were in Scythia. (After the global destruction of Noah's flood, it is doubtful that the location of these places could be determined with degree of certainty today. Ed.) (x) Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 133. (y) Geograph. l. 1. p. 31. & l. 11. p. 344. (z) Nat. Hist. l. 12. c. 9. (a) Jarchi in Numb. xi. 7. David de Pomis Tzemach David, fol. 8. 3. (b) Polyhistor. c. 25. (c) Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 5. c. 5. p. 675, &c. (d) Nat. Hist. l. 36. c. 7. (e) lb. l. 37. c. 6. (f) Polyhistor. ut supra. (c. 25) (g) Ut supra, (Nat. Hist. l. 36.) c. 5.

Genesis 2:12

Man and Woman in the Garden

¹¹The name of the first river is Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.¹²And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there.